Math and Art

We learned about shapes the first few weeks of school . . . how many sides and corners for various 2D shapes which is part of the Common Core Standards.

For our art integrated activity we looked at Paul Klee's painting Castle and Sun. 

We looked at the types of lines and different shapes he used to create his painting.

For our art project we did a tape resist.

Students were then given 3 strips of masking tape on the front of their shirts. They pressed down on the tape and peeled it off when they were ready to place it on their cardboard squares. Having the masking tape on their shirts first, made it less sticky and easier to peel off the cardboard later. Students placed the strips of tape across the board intersecting in different places to create shapes. They were given extra tape as needed.

The second step was to use tempera cakes to paint over the entire cardboard squares.
Once the paint dried, we (not the students to avoid tearing) very gently peeled off the tape and voila!

We're Back!

Hi Everyone!

Sorry we have been gone for so long . . . the end of the year was very busy and then it was time for summer! We have both been busy spending time with our families having summer fun, but time to start getting ready for school to start again!

To get things going, I have created new Monthly Math Calendars for the 2013-2014 school year. We do these with our students at the end of each month to practice number writing, as well as some other math skills. The Math Calendar is a freebie at TPT and our Back to School Sale is starting 8/1 - 8/4!

Freebie at TPT

Come Down to the Farm!

Howdy!

Our Farm Theme Pack is ready for all of you to get at TPT!

It is full of fun, cross-curricular activities: Farmer Facts Mobile, Paper Plate Farm Animals, Scrapbook Chickens, Produce Addition Stand, Piggy Banks & More!

For more Farm ideas from past posts go here!

Teaching Digraphs with Technology

We have talked about the digraphs th,sh & ch all year long.  We love using the Heidi Songs Sounds Fun Phonics Poster  to introduce them.  Now that we are nearing the end of our Kindergarten year,  we are teaching one digraph each week.  We found some great videos to get our students "hooked" into the learning.  Do you use YouTube to get your students excited about what you are teaching?

TH

SH

CH

As for student work, we love to get our students reading, writing & recognizing the digraphs.  Here are some samples of what our students have been up to.

Digraph Book Set

Digraph Book Set

 

 

Blend & Digraph Web Set

 Blend & Digraph Writing Set

Blend & Digraph Flip Book

Writing Dialogue using Technology

Last year, we taught our students how to write dialogue.  You can see the post HERE.  This year, we decided to teach it again but this time we integrated technology into our  lesson.  It was so much fun and the kids are begging to do it again and again. 

We started the lesson with what we call the "Hook".  This is a quick way to get our students interested in what we will be teaching.  We found some great videos on YouTube to introduce dialogue.

After we watched one of The Debu Debu Stories, we told students that they would learn how to write dialogue.  We then defined dialogue as the conversation between characters.  We modeled writing dialogue from 2 familiar stories, Brave Bear by Kathy Mallat and When Sophie Gets Angry Really Really Angry by Molly Bang.   After modeling for students, it was their turn to practice writing.  We chose 2 more familiar stories, Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells and Maisy's Pool by Lucy Cousins.  We guided the students how to write dialogue correctly before sending them off to write on their own.  For the independent practice, we reminded them about a story we read titled A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats.  If you haven't read this story it is a great one.  The students can really relate to the main character, Peter. 

Here are some samples of their dialogue they came up with all on their own.

The students not only understood dialogue as you can see from the samples, but were ready to take it to the next level.  In order to do this we integrated technology and used this great app

called Bookabi.  It is a free app where the students are able to pick out their own setting, characters and can use their voices to record their dialogue.  We wanted it to be a collaborative project so we had them work in pairs. 

Bookabi app

Here are some of the finished products.

 

 We hope you try to teach dialogue to your students and use technology to assist you in the process!

California Symbols

This week we started learning about our home state of California and its symbols. For making the California flag, Poppy, Redwood Tree and Quail and other activities we did last year, go here.

Here are some additional activities integrating technology through the Smart Board and follow up activities. You can get the Notebook files from TPT for free!

CA Map Notebook lesson available at TPT

CA Flag Notebook lesson available at TPT

CA Symbols Notebook lesson available at TPT

Here are samples of the worksheets we created as follow up activities to help sts. remember what they learned! Get them for free at TPT!

What's In Your Egg?

We love to push our students to learn more and we are always looking for creative ways to mix the standards with our monthly themes.  We came up with this What's In My Egg? book.  Our students love making it and learning all about oviparous animals.  Is there a better time than Easter to dive into this topic? 

 If you haven't made one of our Theme Books before, it is a great way for students to practice writing sight words, following multi-step directions and strengthening their fine motor skills.  In the end,  they have a wonderful book to take home and read to their family.  You can find our 

What's In My Egg? book by clicking HERE.

A great book to read that goes along with our What's In Your Egg? is....

 

And a poem that you can find HERE.

Eggs  

(To the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Lots of animals come from eggs
Some with fins
And some with legs.

Some that chatter
And some that cheep
Some that fly
And some that creep

Some that slither
And some that run
Some with feathers
And some with none.

Animal eggs can be quite small
Or just as big as a tennis ball.

They're quite a few
Hatch from eggs
And lay them, too.

-Unknown Author

We also found this fun rhyming game courtesy of obSEUSSed.

For more great ideas that relate to oviparous animals and eggs, head on over to 

Who Laid THAT Egg?

Easter Eggs The Creative Way

Easter is right around the corner and so we went looking for some creative ways to decorate eggs.    Which type of egg will you make with your students this year? 

Wet Chalk & Tape Resist by Mom to 2 Posh Little Divas

Plastic Easter Egg Stamping by Kids Activities Blog

Stained Glass Easter Eggs

Tissue Paper Easter Egg by Artzy Creations

Stained Glass Easter Egg by Everyday Family

Sight Word Coloring Egg